Resurgent Boshoff claims historic victory in Pretoria

Paul Boshoff claimed a historic eight-shot victory in the eighth tournament of the Betway Big Easy Tour that was played at Waterkloof Golf Club, making it two wins in two weeks in the process.

A final round 63 which included three eagles, five birdies and two bogeys took Boshoff’s total for the week to 21-under-par 195, some distance clear of Xander Basson who had led proceedings since Tuesday.

“You don’t always know if you have a 63 in you,” said a happy Boshoff. “I didn’t really have a number today but at the beginning of the week, I sort of had 20-under in my head as a goal for myself. There are a lot of birdies here to be made. I have a really good process and I was just going out to play 18 good holes and see what happens.”

Boshoff was two shots off Basson’s lead at the start of the final round and with some work to do, seeing how good Basson was playing. In the end, the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate, Boshoff, his second victory on Tour and over Basson this season. His feat etched him into the history books of the Betway Big Easy Tour as the first player to win back-to-back since the Tour returned under the Sunshine Tour banner.

“That’s obviously an honour I will keep,” he said of being the first man to win twice in a row on the circuit. “It’s so hard to explain that my game has been good for so long and obviously, last week gave me a lot of confidence.

More confidence in the process that I am following; that I am actually doing the right things. So, I just said into the week, just copy and paste and do the same things. I got the same results, so it shows that what I am doing is working and I am very happy right now.”

Boshoff was third on the Order of Merit at the start of the week, thanks to his win at CMR Golf Club last week. Thursday’s win catapulted him to the summit of those rankings with four events left in the campaign.

The top 12 players on the standings after the season concludes will earn their Sunshine Tour playing privileges for the season ahead, and Boshoff has placed himself in pole position to be among those players.

“It means a lot to be up there,” he said. “It’s the reason all of us are here; to move up to the Sunshine Tour. I want to say that It’s almost secured now. I a obviously going to try to win as much as I can and finish this season as high as I can and play good golf. But, yeah, I am already preparing my game for next season; to level up. There is a level up and I just want to be ready for that.”

While Basson will feel a little gutted at losing out twice within as many weeks – and after he has been playing some of his best golf – he will be happy with his position on the Order of Merit.

Despite that victory remaining elusive, Basson has shot up to second on those Order of Merit and he too will be thinking about the prospect of teeing it up among the elite in the 2025/26 season.

Basson shoots 66 to extend lead at Waterkloof

Xander Basson shot an eventful second round of six-under-par 66 to take his total to 15-under ahead of the final round of the eighth Betway Big Easy Tour event at Waterkloof Golf Club.

The second round of this 54-hole tournament was suspended because of bad weather on Wednesday. Basson and most of the field hadn’t finished the round and had to come to wrap things up early on Friday.

While his front-nine 37 was not as impressive as he would have liked, the Silverlakes Golf Club member, Basson, got going on the homeward stretch. He shot a blemish-free 29 there in what was a show of skill, patience and determination.

“I had quite a slow start yesterday morning,” he said of his front nine showing. “I was hitting it well but I just left myself in some bad spots. But, this morning, I started off well and told my caddie that I felt I was hitting it well and we must try to make as many birdies as possible on the back nine. Then I went on a little streak there, so it was fun.

The weather-enforced delay did very little to demotivate Basson.

“I was actually excited to go back out yesterday,” he said. “But this morning I thought to myself I’m hitting it well and I’m rolling the putter well, so let’s go and make a few more putts and see what happens, Then I ended here on 18 with a give eagle putt. That was nice.”

Last week’s winner and another man on form, Paul Boshoff, carded a 67 to move to within two shots of Basson’s lead. Given the brilliant golf he has been playing, he will feel confident about his chances of a second win in as many starts.

At 11-under for the week and in solo third on the leaderboard is Leon Visser. Graham van der Merwe and Eric Wowor share fourth on nine-under.

Basson takes good form to Waterkloof

Xander Basson carded a phenomenal opening round of 63 to take a two-shot lead in the eighth tournament of the season hosted at Waterkloof Golf Club.

It was Basson’s second 63 in as many starts after he shot the same score in the final round of the seventh event which was held at CMR Golf Club last week, a feat he admitted was a first for him.

“Last week, I made a comeback for it and shot nine under to finish in second place after Paul Boshoff played some amazing golf,” Basson stated. “It’s been a good few events now. Over the last five few events, I think I got four top 10s. Last week, I finished the week off with a nice 63 and today, I followed it up with another 63.

“It’s actually a first for me to shoot two 63s in a row. Interestingly, I hadn’t touched a club since last Thursday. But it was a good round and I am happy with how I have been playing.”

Starting his round on 10, Basson made birdie there but those gains were immediately erased as he dropped on the next hole. After making pars on his next two holes, Basson let loose, resulting in a run of four birdies and an eagle to turn in 30.

He rode that momentum to the back nine; shooting three-under-par on that stretch with zero bogeys to write home about.

“I started a little slow,” he admitted. “I three-putted on 11 which was my second hole of the day. And then I went on a great run from 14; I made a birdie there. 15, I hit it close and I holed out on 16 from about 58 metres and that got my round going. I took the momentum from there and it went well.”

Defending champion, Reece McKain and last week’s champion, Paul Boshoff carded respective rounds of 65 to share second on the leaderboard. At the same time, England’s Joe Knox, amateur Oliver Goldhill, Zimbabwe’s David Amm, Luke Trocado and Leon Visser tied fourth at six-under par.

Travis Ladner and Eric Wowor made up the rest of the top 10 leading players; sharing ninth at five-under.

Boshoff ends trophy drought in style at CMR

Paul Boshoff claimed a two-stroke victory over Xander Basson in the seventh tournament of the season at CMR Golf Club on Thursday, ending a six-year trophy drought in the process.

His final-round 67 took his tournament total to 17-under-par 199, two clear of Basson who produced a near-perfect round of 63 to take solo second. The victory at CMR was Boshoff’s second on this circuit, having one at Randpark Golf Club in 2018. Ironically, that victory also came in the seventh tournament of that season.

“I think it’s a lot of relief,” said Boshoff, describing his feelings in the aftermath of his triumph. “It’s been a lot of hard work and struggles over the last couple of years. So, for it to start getting together; I got the win, so it came together; it’s just relief.

“I have been playing very nicely for the last six, seven, eight, nine weeks but there’s always a bad round in there or a couple of bad holes that derail me, so I’m just relieved and very happy right now.

“It means a lot to me to win against such a strong field. People tend to underestimate the fields of the Big Easy, but the winning score was 17-under-par to win by two shots. You need to play good golf and every week is sort of a grind. It’s a building block to where you want to be and I think it prepares you for the higher levels of the game.”

His win certainly went a long way in boosting his chances of earning his Sunshine Tour card for next season by lifting him to third on the Order of Merit. It also brought his six-year winless streak to a halt.

“My first victory was in 2018, the year before I got my Sunshine Tour card,” Boshoff recalled. “It was also a Big Easy event at Randpark but obviously a long time ago. Very different emotions back then. This one means a little bit more, I would say. I think back then I sort of took it for granted a bit but this one means a bit more.

“This win sets me up nicely because, obviously, I want to play on the Sunshine Tour again and move on from there. I want to play all over the world and I think South African golfers have proven that we can compete wherever we want to compete.”

A man fully aware of the impact the Betway Big Easy Tour has had in launching some of the country’s fines golfers’ careers, Boshoff will look forward to the rest of the season with some renewed confidence as destiny beckons.

The top 12 players on the Order of Merit standings will earn their Sunshine Tour cards, come end of the season, and Boshoff has thrown his name in the hat.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s development circuit and enjoys the support of South African golfing legend, Ernie Els among other patrons.

Boshoff hangs on as Joubert joins lead

Paul Boshoff’s second round 68 ensured he remained at the top of the leaderboard while Richard Joubert’s second successive 66 catapulted him to a share of the lead ahead of the final round at CMR Golf Club.

Boshoff made three birdies and an eagle en route to his 68 while Joubert’s round was characterised by six birdies, an eagle and two dropped shots.

“I think I actually played better today,” noted Boshoff after his round. “I turned four-under; missed a couple of putts but played some nice golf. I’ve been playing nicely and I’ve been somewhere in contention for the last four or five weeks.

“I just try to do the same thing over and over and see what the score gives. It’s obviously easier said than done but that’s my plan for tomorrow; hit fairways and greens and keep making those putts. This is a course where a lot of birdies are made and to make those you need to putt it well.

“This course is forgiving off the tee but hitting good tee shots does make a massive difference around here. There’s not a lot of trouble; you’re not going to find yourself in big trouble but off the tees but hitting fairways makes the second shot easier and thus making the putts shorter and easier. And, obviously, you need to play the par-fives well because that’s where you score around here.”

A new putter, coupled with great iron shots, helped Joubert to a round of 66 to share the lead with Boshoff.

“Today, I made two stupid drops but I hit the ball really well,” said Joubert. I started to find something small with the irons today. It’s good to see because I have been working really hard on my game the last three months and it’s starting to show.

“The course is very open from the tee box and ironically, my driver has been the straightest club in the bag this week. But I also changed putters a few weeks ago, just before Soweto, and it felt good and I made the cut there. That gave me some confidence and this week, the putter has just been flowing.”

Looking to pile the pressure on the leaders is Warwick Purchase of Benoni Country Club. At 11-under with 18 holes to go, Purchase is just a single shot off the pace while Luke Mayo and Francois van der Walt are a further two strokes back on nine-under.

Keelan Africa was the leading member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class on a tournament total of eight-under, four shots adrift.

Boshoff shows grit to tie Van der Walt for early lead at CMR

Paul Boshoff shrugged off a bogey on the first hole and marched on to an eventful round of 64 to tie Francois Van Der Walt who was already in the clubhouse with a blemish-free 64 of his own on day one of the seventh tournament of the season at CRM Golf Club on Tuesday.

Contrary to Van Der Walt’s fortunes when he made eagle on that first hole, Boshoff made a bogey there to start his day. But it was to mean very little soon as the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate player would soon let loose. Boshoff followed up that drop with a par on the second before sinking three birdies back-to-back.

A par on nine paved the way for a brace of birdies on 10 and 11, with a sneaky bogey threating to derail his progress on 13. Once again, Boshoff recovered swiftly; birdieing 14, 16 and sealing his round with an eagle. All in all, a brilliant round of golf!

Van Der Walt was just as scintillating on his way to an untainted round of 64. His rapid start saw him go five-under in the first four holes, thanks to a pair of eagles and a birdie to mark a fantastic start. He backed those up with another birdie on six to turn in 31 and bogey-free. A par on nine marked a run of seven pars on the trot as Van Der Walt sought to manage what was left of the first 18 holes.

He made further gains in the latter stages of the round; birdieing 16 and 18 to close off what was one of the best rounds on Tour this season. While both Boshoff and Van Der Walt will be satisfied with their day’s work, they will both know of the challengers that lurk ever-so-dangerously.

Benoni Country Club’s Warwick Purchase and Maccauvlei’s Johan Theron shot seven-under each and share third. Purchase has already tasted victory on Tour and will want to call on that experience as he searches for more glory. His bogey-free 65 has given him a strong start and he will want to emulate Tuesday’s performance in the next second round of this 54-hole event.

Luke Mayo continued with the good form that took him into a playoff with Musiwalo Nethunzwi in Soweto a fortnight or so ago; carding a blemish-free 66 to tie fifth with Richard Joubert, who’s own 66 had no blemishes.

18-year-old amateur and CMR Golf Club member, Yusuf Dadoo, capitalised on his knowledge of the terrain here, carding a near-perfect 67 to take a share of fifth ahead of the second round.

Mark Maart was the leading member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class after day one, sharing fifth with the aforementioned Dadoo, veteran Ulrich van den Berg and Reece McKain.

Local hero Nethunzwi seals home victory in Soweto

Musiwalo Nethunzwi took full advantage of his knowledge of his home club, the historic Soweto Country Club, when he defeated Luke Mayo in a playoff to win the sixth tournament of the Betway Big Easy Tour, much to the delight of the attending crowd, on Thursday.

It was his second Sunshine Tour-sanctioned tournament win here after he beat James Kamte in the 2029 Vusi Ngubeni tournament, also in a playoff. He needed two extra holes, however, against Mayo unlike when he only needed one against the veteran Kamte.

Nethunzwi was six-under and a shot behind overnight leader, Tyrone Davidowitz, when he came into the final round and within arms-length of making history as the first Sunshine Tour professional to win twice on the Soweto Country Club layout. His final round 70 took his total to eight-under par to tie the first spot with Mayo who was already in the clubhouse after a second successive round of 68.

“It was a good day out there,” said a happy Nethunzwi. “I know I have been playing well but it was not showing in the numbers. It’s good to finally win again and it is certainly a confidence-booster going forward.”

While Tuesday’s leader, Drikus Joubert (seven-under), Ryan Van Der Klis (seven-under) and Andre De Decker (six-under) looked threatening in the later stages of the final round, they all fell short of making the playoff.

It was Mayo versus Nethunzwi to decide the victor.

Both players made brilliant par-saves on 18 to necessitate a second extra hole. Mayo made bogey and Nethunzwi solidify his status as king of Soweto golf with a par, throwing the local patrons into a frenzy of excitement.

“I knew I had a chance when I came into this final round,” said an elated Nethunzwi. “Even when I made that up-and-down on 18^th to get into the playoff, I told my caddie that if we make par and go into the playoff, we will win this thing.

“It’s a great day for Soweto. I hope this can show others, even in other townships, that if I can win at this level, they can also win. All that is needed is to work hard and never lose the belief that you can do it. It means a lot to me to win again, especially at home.”

A hero in Soweto, Nethunzwi is a member of the Sunshine Tour’s transformation initiative, the Papwa Sewgolum Class, which provides players of colour with more support to ensure they compete at the highest level.

Sewgolum, who hailed from Durban, became the first golfer of colour to win a title in South Africa after he won the Natal Open in 1963. In 1965, Sewgolum defeated the great Gary Player to win his second Natal Open title but his victory was overshadowed by the unfortunate incident in which he was forced to accept his trophy outside of Durban Country Club, since people of colour were not allowed in the clubhouse.

Davidowitz takes to the top ahead of final round in Soweto

Tyrone Davidowitz will take a slim one-stroke lead into the final round of the sixth event of the Betway Big Easy Tour in Soweto, thanks to a fine four-under 68 in tough conditions on Wednesday.

The Hermanus Golf Club player withstood some testing wind on day two at Soweto Country Club, coming in with a 68 to take his tournament total to seven-under and a shot clear of local man, Musiwalo Nethunzwi. Davidowitz had signed for 69 on day one and backed it up with an even more impressive score on moving day to take the lead with 18 holes to play.

“It was tough with the wind out here,” admitted Davidowitz after his round. “But I took advantage of the downwind holes pretty well and I just made my pars when into the wind. Over all, it was a pretty good day.”

Davidowitz was four-under and blemish-free on the back nine where he started his round but the birdies were hard to come by on the tougher front nine of this parkland track here in Pimville.

On his homeward stretch, a solitary birdie was accompanied by a bogey on three – his 12^th hole of the round – and thereafter, Davidowitz would not allow for any more big numbers to enter his scorecard.

“This course is really tough and you just have to keep the ball in the right places,” he said of the challenge posed by this golf course. “With the fairways being this firm and the big doglegs, you just have to make sure that you miss on the right sides to give yourself a chance to get to the greens.”

Davidowitz is fully aware of the potency of the chasing pack which is led by local favourite, Nethunzwi, but isn’t fazed. His approach to the final round will be very simple, he said.

“I’m excited,” he exclaimed. “I see there’s a couple of good names up there, so I’m excited to compete and just stick to the process and keep doing what I’ve been doing. I won’t put any pressure on myself, though.”

Meanwhile, Nethunzwi took advantage of the course he knows well on moving day. He came in with a 68 of his own to get his total to six-under for the week; giving himself a real chance at glory in front of his home supporters. His was an eventful round, characterised by seven birdies, an eagle and five dropped shots. He is known to play well when competing on home turf and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the final round.

Recently-turned-pro Ryan Van Der Klis also proved his mettle as he signed for the lowest round of the day; a 67 which catapulted him to a share of third with recent winner Slade Picketing and Stals Swart who is yet to taste victory on this circuit.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s premier development circuit and the top 12 players on the Order of Merit will earn their main Tour cards at the end of the season.

Blemish-free 66 gets Joubert in two-way share of lead in Soweto

Silverlakes Golf Club’s Drikus Joubert carded a bogey-free six-under-par 66 to tie the lead with Paul Boshoff after the opening round of the sixth tournament of the Betway Big Easy Tour at the historic Soweto Country Club on Tuesday.

“This course is so tough so I just tried to hit fairways and greens the whole round,” said Joubert after his sparkling round. “My goal this week is just to play stress-free golf. I played nicely on the Bushveld last week and that helped with some confidence coming into this week.”

Starting his round from the 10^th on Tuesday, Joubert made back-to-back pars to ease himself into what was going to be a tough round of golf with the gusting wind that kept changing direction the entire day. He then made two birdies on the trot – on 12 and 13 – to get some momentum before making another birdie on 15, his sixth hole of the round.

“I putted nicely today, for a change,” he noted. “What’s funny is that I have never played this course before yesterday’s practice round and somehow, putted really nicely. It’s different from the courses we normally play and it’s a really tough track.

“The driver was solid today and that helped a lot. As I said, the putter was obedient today and that always helps when you’re going for a low score. But the putting is really crucial around here.”

More gains on the third, the fifth and eighth holes sealed a flawless round of 66 for Joubert as he took the clubhouse lead.

“My first rounds have not been that great in the last couple of events,” Joubert reflected. “So, it’s nice to get out of the blocks quickly and just try to take it day by day and see what happens. I enjoyed myself today and we will see what happens in the next two rounds.”

Boshoff on the other hand had one bogey on his card en route to a 66 of his own. His round was characterised by seven birdies and that solitary drop but he will be pleased with the way he played in such tough conditions.

In a share of the third spot after rounds of 67 each is the trio of Stals Swart, Slade Pickering and member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, Shalan Governder. The latter will be pleased with his position on the leaderboard after enduring a tough time on the fairways in recent times. Govender had missed the cut in his last three events on this circuit and his resurgence in Soweto will serve as motivation going into the final 36 holes this week.

Xander Basson occupies the sixth spot on n the leaderboard, thanks to an opening 68, while Tyrone Davidowitz, Louis Liebenberg, Makhetha Mazibuko, Allister de Kock and the veteran duo of Thabang Simon and Ulrich van den Berg share seventh on three-under-par.

Van der Merwe seals dramatic maiden victory in Krugersdorp

It might not have been his first professional victory but Graham van der Merwe admitted that his come-from-behind victory in the fifth event of the Betway Big Easy Tour held at Krugersdorp is the biggest of his career thus far.

Van der Merwe entered the final round with a three-shot deficit after local man, Simon Du Plooy and Matthew Rushton had stolen the show in the first two rounds of this 54-hole tournament.  His final-round seven-under-par 65 took his tournament total to 16-under and he waited in the clubhouse as overnight leader, Rushton and Du Plooy still fought it out.

Other than Van der Merwe, however, a surprise challenger emerged. Englishman, Joe Knox carded the lowest round of the day an eye-catching 63 to total 14-under for the week and tie second alongside Du Plooy. Rushton’s even-par 72 saw him finish solo fourth on 12-under-par 204.

“It was an awesome day,” said an elated Van der Merwe after his title-winning round. “I’ve been playing nicely for a long time but today and yesterday, it all came together. The long game, the putting, the chipping; it all came together and luckily, that’s what you need to do to win events like this. So, I’, just super stoked, yeah!

“It’s crazy because this time last year I was contemplating even playing golf again. It had been a long time since I played, so for me to even play in a Big Easy, never mind win one, is a just a milestone in itself. I’m quite speechless to be honest.”

Van der Merwe has silently gone about his business this season both on the Betway Big Easy Tour and the Sunshine Tour where he has made eight cuts in ten events. Not bad for a player who almost quit the sport.

“It’s crazy because it’s gone so much better than I thought it would,” he said of his resurgence. “Obviously, with golf there are always disappointments but looking back to a year ago; where I was ad where I am now; golf is a wonderful thing. And what it’s done for me; I’m just super grateful of where I am.”

The victory in Krugersdorp marked Van der Merwe’s fourth professional win – with some won on other circuits – but, and by his own admission, the biggest of his career yet.

“Definitely, I have had a few on other smaller Tours but this is the biggest win for me,” Van der Merwe said. “I definitely felt the nerves coming in and to perform under that amount of pressure, I’m just proud of how I played.”

With his win, Van der Merwe moves to third on the leaderboard after five tournaments. With his current form on the Betway Big Easy Tour, and the quality he has shown on the Sunshine Tour, Van der Merwe looks poised for a great season.

The top 12 players on the Order of Merit will earn their season cards for the 2025/26 Sunshine Tour season and Van der Merwe has positioned himself well amongst those players.